Things I miss from childhood

You set sail across the sea
Of long past thoughts and memories.
Childhood's end, your fantasies
Merge with harsh realities.
And then as the sail is hoist,
You find your eyes are growing moist.
All the fears never voiced
Say you have to make your final choice.
Childhood's End
by Pink Floyd

Rob at Laughing at the Pieces offered his post on this subject then tagged me. So here goes:

1. The woods behind my neighbor's house.

Many a war game was played there. Many an expeditions were launched. We dug up old farm equipment and hid in the old chicken coops. They were a safe place for us to play in an unsafe manner. Now, the woods are gone, replaced by houses.

2. Climbing trees

There was one you could climb high enough to see the high school, a couple miles away. We built tree houses (plural, because they lacked the structural integrity to last), a rope swing, and the slide for life (a pulley that your rode down a 50' length or rope). There was one time when I jumped down from a tree, and my knee caught me in the face, putting my tooth through my lip. Good times!

3. Vermont

Every year we went there, to the same lean-to in Calvin Coolidge State Forest. They were all named after trees. Ours was Basswood. Such was my family's dedication to this annual vacation that they went when Mom was eight months pregnant with me. Going there each year was like going home. I keep pestering Sharon about going there again. Someday....

4. Gram

My dad's mother came to live with us when we moved to a larger house. I didn't realize how lucky I was to have that, though I do now. Gram always had stories about this and that, so familiar that I took them for granted. And there was her cooking. I don't miss that, to be honest. Having lived through the Depression, she wasted nothing. This made for some, um, interesting dishes. How about a lamb sandwich? No mayonaise for the egg salad? BBQ sauce will do.

5. Atari 2600

Okay, I've got to be honest on this one. I loved that Atari. I did. I wasted countless hours of my life finding the chalice again in Adventure, rolling the score over in Space Invaders and Asteroids, shaving another second off my time in the Indy 500 ice race, etc., etc.

Well, there ya go. Who should I tag next? I will randomly choose from my friends' blogs. Leaving Rob's off, there are six. The result of 1d6 is... six! That means I'm tagging Jeri.

Point of view

"First of all," [Atticus] said, "If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-"
"Sir?"
"-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee

Today I was posting some comments to this post at The Center of NJ Life. I was critical of random searches in the NYC Subway and NJ Transit, and someone asked me for alternatives. After explaining why I thought random searches wouldn't work, I voiced support for better information sharing, espionage, and good old detective work. I also said need to address root causes in our foreign policy. That's a buzz-word laden way of saying I think we need to do more to understand what is leading people to terrorism.

Here's the thing. I almost left that last one off. I wanted to avoid the inevitable accusations that I hated America and supported terrorism. I was remembering Karl Rove's remarks in June. I went ahead and put it in. We'll see if the thread gets derailed or not.

I've been thinking about this whole root cause thing for awhile. As a software developer, I deal with root causes often. There's a problem with an application, bad behavior, a bug. For example, I have a label on a button. All of a sudden, the label is garbled. What do I do? I can just reset the label, fixing the immediate issue. But something garbled that label. There's still a bug, and odds are it will manifest elsewhere. To do it right, I have to dig in a little, look at what's changed recently, maybe step through the program as it runs watching everything. That takes more effort, of course, and the solution is more complex. Yet that is clearly the right way to handle it, and the solution is more robust.

Like the quick fix, we have a quick answer for why terrorists hate us. "Because we're free," is what Bush has said more than once. It's a great soundbite that plays well in big speaches. But it denies the complex issues at hand. It turns a blind eye to real problems that lie at the heart. Until these root causes are addressed, this hatred will manifest itself over and over in new and different places. I am not advocating for apeasement here. I don't believe we should bargain with terrorists. We need to truly understand what motivates these people to such extreme actions.

It can't just be that they're evil. No one is born wanting to do this. People learn to hate. Mohammad Atta came into this world just like the rest of us. He was an innocent little kid once. He learned to hate us. Why is that? Have we really thought about it? Are we doing anything to change that? Shouldn't we be? And why is it un-American to do so?

I know most of the people who read this, so I know I'm preaching to the choir here. But I'm just so sick of hearing that the only solution is to "brandish steel," as Rove put it. We've brandished plenty of steel, and what has it gotten us?

Is Rove the new North?

The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history.
George Orwell

This post from eriposte at The Left Coaster does a great job detailing and debunking the GOP talking points about Karl Rove blowing Valerie Plame's cover. I was incredulous when I watched John Gibson's ridiculous commentary suggesting Rove deserves a medal. He went above and beyond today in service of his GOP masters.

Then it dawned on me. Karl Rove could be the next Oliver North. I re-read the talking points, and it starts to add up. They tell this story:

Self-serving Valerie Plame recklessly hands an overseas assignment to her hubby, left-wing nut Joe Wilson. Joe is supposed to look into the yellow-cake deal, but he's a liberal peace-nik who doesn't want a war, even in Iraq where there is a clear and present danger. He also wants John Kerry to win, so he can get a job in the new administration. So he tries to sabotage the case for war by offering up a flawed report designed only to serve his own agenda.

Enter patriot Karl Rove. He sees through Joe's plan, and he's willing to stop Wilson no matter what the cost. Selflessing putting himself in legal peril, Rove does the only thing he can: he exposes the secret backroom dealings of Plame and Wilson. Sure, it could be against the law, but our national security comes first.

It's a great story. It side-steps the legal fallout and re-casts Rove as the selfless patriot. As a bonus, it implies that Saddam really was trying to buy yellow-cake after all. New life for the WMD justification.

Sound too far-fetched? Don't think the American public will buy it? How many people still, still think Iraq was involved in the 9/11 attacks? How many think Ollie North is a hero?

Call me Uncle Pennybags

Advance token to nearest Railroad and pay owner Twice the Rental to which he is entitled.
Chance card in Monopoly

That phrase signaled the end of the game for my daughter this past weekend. It was anyone's game until then. In order to come up with the $400 rent, she had to sell off all her houses and mortgage two of her last three properties. I did the only appropriate thing for a loving father to do at this point: I danced around laughing and shouting, "IN YOUR FACE! IN YOUR FACE!"

That's a joke! Geeez! What do you take me for?

Actually, I said she played a good game, told her it was bad luck, and noted that had I hit her houses first, it would have gone the other way (which it would have). Of course, I did still take her money and build two more houses on Boardwalk and Park Place, just to make sure. And I said, "Sorry honey," right before I asked for the $1400 rent that officially bankrupted her. For the record, she's won several games of Monopoly in the past.

Sharon had taken my younger daughter to a birthday party in hell, I mean Chuck E. Cheese. My oldest and I were home, and I asked what she wanted to do. It was hot out, and she'd already ridden her new bike for an hour, so she asked if we could play a game. First we played Stratego. She picked that, I swear. Then (and I am not making this up) she asked if we could play Risk. I said that would probably take too long to play, so she suggested Monopoly, which we did. We both had a really good time playing games. I'm psyched that she has my love of board games.

After the game, we headed up to the school where she rode her new bike around the parking lot while I flew a kite. A nice finish to a great afternoon.

Joel Stein, you're lame, lame, lame, lame!

Here's what I think: Joel Stein is a ninny.
--*Rob

Rob offered this post about Joel Stein's slamming of adult Harry Potter fans. I read Stein's piece. He's clearly trying to be contrarian. He also talks big for someone who didn't read the books. I began a comment on Rob's blog, but decided to go full-blown-post because, well, I need something. Here are my observations:

He says Judy Blume is a good author, but adults don't read Freckle Juice. Well, my daughter read Freckle Juice. It's, like, 48 pp., so yeah, he's right, adults don't go for books like that. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is 309 pp. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is 672 pp. A little different don't you think?

He also points to the equivalent books of our youth. (His point: we had those books to fill our adolescent needs, leave it at that.) He includes Tolkein's books in there. So he's saying Tolkein is only good for thirteen-year-olds?

Oh yeah, he needs to point out how simplistic the plot is. It's just your basic good/evil story. Surprise, a fantasy story that has a battle between good and evil. How about that. And the story is by no means that simplistic. There are plenty of shades of grey. Take Delores Umbridge. What she does, and why, is more complex than simple a good vs. evil plot. And what about Snape? Talk about an ambiguous character.

Etc., etc., etc. Joel might figure this out a little more, but, as I mentioned, he didn't read the books.

Strength in numbers

You let one ant stand up to us, then they all might stand up! Those puny little ants outnumber us a hundred to one and if they ever figure that out there goes our way of life!
Hopper
A Bug's Life

The White House press corp demostrated that intimidation can only carry the Bush administration so far. The briefings from yesterday and today are sights to behold. You'll find nothing of value in Scott McClellan's answers. He can't even come up with new and interesting ways to say, "No comment." The good stuff is in the questions, which are relentless. It's like the reporters all decided at once they'd had enough bullshit.

I'd love to blog about this on a play by play basis, but I need to get back to work. But Seething in the Wilderness has everything you'll want to see here and here.

Rove the White House leaker?

Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: Oh, thank you very much.
Casablanca

Newsweek is reporting that Karl Rove is one of the sources behind the outing of Valerie Plame. Okay everyone, together now in your best Steven Wright monotone:

Oh my god. Can you believe it. What is this world coming to? I am sooooo surprised.

Karl Rove, huh? Who would have thunk? Well, anyone with five or more neurons, but why care? Rove can relax, secure in the knowledge that he's more likely to be ridden to victory in the Kentucky Derby than face prosecution.

Besides, the London bombings will leave this story buried. Just another reason for whoop-whooping over at Fox (SitW has the details on that).

Leadership

lead
v,
1. To show the way to by going in advance.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

I looked up leader and found a picture of Antonio Villaraigosa.

Details from:

• skippy the bush kangaroo
• Shakespeare's Sister
• The Center of NJ Life

London

Today we are all British
Sign being held up outside the British Embassy in Washington, D.C.

I don't know what to say about the London bombings that is better than five words from a guy in front of the British Embassy. I will share this photo, which struck a cord with me:

This is the crowd of people heading into Liverpool Street Station once it reopenned, showing that sometimes you triumph simply by getting on with your day.

Shine on you crazy diamond

You know that I care what happens to you
And I know that you care for me
So I don't feel alone
Of the weight of the stone
Now that I've found somewhere safe
To bury my bone
And any fool knows a dog needs a home
A shelter from pigs on the wing
Pink Floyd

I finally managed to watch a video of the the Pink Floyd set at Live 8 (streaming, without the annoying MTV commercial breaks I heard about). Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright played together for the first time since 1981. The guys didn't sound half bad.

Comfortably Numb was the song I really wanted to hear. I think it suffered most from the absence of Gilmour or Waters. Any live version sounded wrong because because half the vocals weren't the voice I wanted to hear. Wish You Were hear suffered the same problem, although to a lesser extent, and it was good to hear that too.

It was nice to see them up there together playing some of my favorite songs. There were several points where the camera caught band members making eye contact with one another. Mostly it was Waters or Gilmour looking back at Mason. I know I'm looking through a fan's eyes here, but they seemed to exchange this little knowing look, as if to say, "You're right, this is cool."

There was a nice moment at then end, with the four of them standing together thanking the crowd. You've probably seen the photo. They all seem genuinely happy they're there together. I hope they were. I was.

The Nazi card

No soup for you!
The Soup Nazi
Seinfeld

I don't know if I've said this already, but my new favorite political commentator is Keith Olbermann. His MSNBC blog is call Bloggermann, and his posts have a Jon Stewart sensibility that I really appreciate. One recent post I like was this one on the recent Nazi references by U.S. Senators Byrd, Santorum, and Durbin. Personally I don't think they should resign, as Olbermann suggests. But he's dead on here:

The Republicans are not the SS, and the Democrats are not the Gestapo, and Gitmo is not Buchenwald.

I like that he seeks to reign in the extreme rhetoric that makes enlightened debate so difficult these days. And I think both sides are guilty here.

To be sure, we can be to P.C. about the term. I had no problem when Seinfeld introduced the Soup Nazi. I came accross this L.A. Times commentary that speaks to this issue.

I don't know where the line is. Going back to the three Senators, here's my take. I thought Byrd's comments were okay. He was talking about strategies the Nazis used to gain power and drawing (IMHO) fair comparisons to our goverment. As much as I dislike Santorum, I didn't think he was calling Democrats Nazis, he was making an analogy, albeit a stupid one.

Durbin, I think, crossed the line. He made the direct comparison the others did not. By implying that Guantanamo Bay interrogators acted like Nazis, he failed on two levels. First, he was just plain wrong. The worst actions of the interrogators were nothing close to what the Nazis did routinely. Second, in making this comparison he undermined his own cause. He lost credibility on the issue and, in doing so, failed to address the real and dangerous situation in Gitmo.

That's a mistake we can't afford to make.

What I did on my vacation Pt. 1

I long for wildness... Woods where the woodthrush forever sings, Where the hours are early morning ones, And there is dew on the grass, And the day is forever unproven... A New Hampshire everlasting and unfallen.
Henry David Thoreau

The quote was on a sign at the entrance of Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves. When I saw it, my first thought was, I need to remember that for my blog. Of course, I forgot the exact quote, but googling '"lost river" thoreau' turned it right up.

Last week was the family vacation. My family, my brother's family, and my parents all rent a house on Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. It was a lakefront house (pictured). It was taken from the pontoon boat we rented (but I'm getting ahead of myself). There plenty of bedrooms for everyone, a great view of the lake, a dock, beach, and use of the canoe and kayaks. The lake was great for swimming, and we did plenty of that.


Other activities included the aformentioned pontoon boat. They're nice in that there is room for everyone to sit and space for the kids to walk around a bit without fear of them falling out. The house is on a section of the lake named Moultonboro Bay. Getting the boat from the rental place to the house is fun because you have to navigate through The Graveyard. Yes, it's really called that. There are more than 1000 markers on the lake warning you away from rocks and boulders that would, if struck, significantly increase the rental cost of the boat.

We explored Lost River, as I said. We also did a bit of hiking. Right next to Winnipesaukee is Squam Lake, and the Squam Lake Association maintains a wonderful and diverse set of trails. The "Bridle Path" trail takes you up West Rattlesnake to an elevation of 1220'. All the kids made the trip up, where you are treated to wide vistas overlooking the lake. The picture at the right is the view from the top. We headed down shortly after, ahead of the approaching thunder storm. We all got doused by some rain, but everyone still had a great time.

Sharon and I also got a hike of our own in. We took the SLA trail to Eagle Cliffs. The trail climbs up the mountain, traversing Eagle Cliffs as it goes. There's one spot where you can even climb the cliff for 0.1 mi. The view was great there too, although it was cloudy that day. There was a neat point where we ascended into the cloud. It was suddenly quiet and foggy.

Well, time to head off to the cousin's house for Independence Day fun. I'll post more later.

The Iraq Dilemma

Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
An' if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know
The Clash

Tom Curry wrote a good article about the Democrat's political strategy and the dilemma of Iraq. In the article, DNC executive committee member Judith Hope had this to say:

“I think Democrats have largely been backed into a corner on Iraq. While most of us believe we should never have gone in there in the first place, many of us believe that now that we’re there, we have no choice but to finish the job. It would be both immoral and dangerous to bail out of that part of the world, given what we know today.”

I think she's right, by the way. We can't just abandon Iraq to the mess we made there. The question is, how do we challange the GOP on this, one of their cornerstone issues? We know it's bad, they know it's bad. We both want to find a way to make it better. I don't think Democrats can achieve much by debating the fine details of our ongoing Iraq policy. We cannot make a compelling argument there.

That's why I think it is important to seek to expose the truth about how we got into Iraq. We need to show how the Bush administration and GOP leaders in Congress misled America. Realistically, we won't be able to impeach Bush, or otherwise hold him leagally accountable. We will, however, be able to punish them in the voting booth.

There is one person I work with who voted for Bush in 2000. He supported the war in Iraq, believing that Saddam posed a real threat. By 2004, though, he realized he'd been suckered, and cast his vote for Kerry. Unfortunately there weren't enough people like him whose minds were changed in 2004. However, I think a relentless pursuit of the truth will bring more of them around. 2006 is the next big referendum on Iraq, and we need to make sure people know the truth by then.

Jeb Bush seeks to punish Michael Schiavo

vin·dic·tive (vin-'dik-tiv)
adj.
1. Disposed to seek revenge; revengeful.
2. Marked by or resulting from a desire to hurt; spiteful.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

With Terri Schiavo finally at rest, Jeb Bush has decided it's time for a little payback, and he's set his sights on Michael Schiavo. Read all about it. Bush got a prosecutor to agree to investigate why Terri Schiavo collapsed.

Their "justification" for this? According to records, Michael Schiavo called 911 at 5:40 a.m. Two years later, at a 1992 medical malpractice trial, he said she collapsed at 5 a.m. Thirteen years later, in a 2003 television interview, he said he found her at about 4:30 a.m.

This is dispicable. This is a new low. This is worse than anything they've done so far.

This is... just plain evil.

Pink Floyd to reunite on stage (a.k.a. Holy Crap!)

Us and Them
And after all we're only ordinary men
Me, and you
God only knows it's not what we would choose to do
Pink Floyd

Wow. I never thought I'd see this. Looks like Bob Geldof gets the credit. Here's the scoop.

Wow.

Electric shed!

When you're in the dark,
And you want to see
You need uh...
(Electricity, electricity!)
Flip that switch
And what do you get?
You get uh...
(Electricity, electricity!)
Every room
Can now be lit
With just uh...
(Electricity, electricity!)
Schoolhouse Rock

No, the electric shed is not a new dance. I've been wanting to run electricity to the shed in out back yard for awhile. Well, I finally did it. We're going to replace our gas mower with a rechargable electric, and it needs to stay plugged in. That was my excuse to start wiring.

Digging the trench was the biggest hassle. The UF cable needs to be buried twelve inches down. It went fairly well though. I dug in segments and burying a bit at a time. I punched a small hole in the basement wall and I was ready to start connecting. I added a brand new circuit to the panel with a GFCI breaker, so the whole line is protected. I put in an outlet and light! Now you can see in there at night time!

Okay, I'm probably more excited about this that is necessary. But sometimes you need a rewarding little home project to put you in a good mood.

God in the government

With the apathy that exists today, a well organized minority can influence the selection of candidates to an astonishing degree.
Pat Robertson
in his book The Millennium

I listenned to two good audio programs recently that I wanted to pass on. Both deal with the the separation of church aand state, and its erosion in our current government.

"Are We Becoming a Theocracy?"
They were running the video of this program at our new church (more on that sometime). We didn't go, but I sought out the audio version.
Joan Bokaer is the founder of Theocracy Watch, and maintains their web site. In this presentation, she walks you through the history of religious right's rise to power. It's a little dry, but it's a quick listen and covers a lot of ground. Audio of this and other presentations can be downloaded free on their website.

This American Life: Godless America
I love TAL. It's one of my favorite radio programs. This episode is particularly good. It's "an hour trying to remember why anyone liked the separation of church and state in the first place." The first act covers the history of separation of church and ctate, and what the founding fathers intended. My favorite part was the discussion with Cornell government professor Isaac Kramnick, co-author of The Godless Constitution (which is has a new edition coming out that I intend to read). He explains how government is less secular now than it ever was, despite Tom Delay's assertions to the contrary.

There is also a great monologue by Julia Sweeney excerpted from her play, "Letting Go of God." She seems to have come to many of the same conclusions I have, though her path was different.

Anyway, check them out.

Teflon Dubya

Vote first. Ask questions later.
Tagline for the film Bob Roberts

The latest polls show Bush's support continues to erode. Well, it's a little late for that. Honestly, what the hell is so different now than 2004?

Yesterday, Bush was finally asked about the Downing Street Memo. Reuters White House correspondent Steve Holland did the honors, making himself eligible for a $1000 prize. He was unaware of the reward, and won't try to claim it. The memo continues its slow prgression into mainstream media.

The timing of the question couldn't have been better for Bush, as he had Tony Blair do immediate damage control. Bush's own answer meandered through the usual stock phrases about Saddam, difficulties of leadership, and how much safer we all are. There was also a well-place insinuation that the release of the memo was intended to hurt Tony Blair in the British elections.

Suggesting a political motive has been one of Bush's best defenses, and I'm expecting to see more of it around the Downing Street Memo. Remember how well it worked against Richard Clarke? One of the DSM links I found referenced the CBS story as our own version of the memo. It occurs to me that the cases are very similar. The source is high ranking intelligence officials. The implication is that Bush intended to invade Iraq no matter what.

Maybe that's why I wasn't that outraged or, for that matter, surprised that the memo didn't get more media coverage. Maybe that's why I haven't said anything here about the memo, until now. The Clarke revelations got plenty of coverage and had absolutely no effect. I wonder if that's the reason for the lack of coverage. Perhaps the media just sees the DSM as more of the same.

I know, that's not a justification for ignoring such an important story. I support Conyers, Kerry, Kennedy, and everyone on the Net who refuse to let the Downing Street Memo story die. I have to confess, though, that I see little other than futility in the effort to hold Bush accountable. So many revelations have gone unanswered....

I think our next best hope is the 2006 mid-term election. Maybe, just maybe, public disillusionment with the Iraq war will cost the GOP their Congressional majority. Then, at least, there would be a branch of government that could really question the Bush administration. But that's a real longshot, given what the Bush administration was willing to do in 2004 to hold onto power. It's all so damn grim.

I firmly believe that one day people will see the harm that's been done. I believe history will hold Bush and his administration accountable. I'm not so sure anyone else will. Republicans always liked to calling Clinton Slick Willy because of what he got away with. He had nothing on Teflon Dubya.

Supreme Court medical marijuana defeat

Governor Tarkin: No star system will dare oppose the Emperor now.
Princess Leia: The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.
Star Wars

The Supreme Court ruled today that sick people can be prosecuted for using marijuana to ease their pain. As much as I am for the legalization of medical marijuana, I can't fault their interpretation of the law as it stands. Federal marijuana laws are the real problem, and they are what need to change.

Justice Stevens, in writing the majority opionion, seemed ambivalent in his decision. It's like he knows the law, but regrets how it must be interpreted here. Take this paragraph:

The case is made difficult by respondents’ strong arguments that they will suffer irreparable harm because, despite a congressionalfinding to the contrary, marijuana does have valid therapeutic purposes. The question before us, however, is not whether it is wise to enforce the statute in these circumstances; rather, it is whether Congress’ power to regulate interstate markets for medicinal substances encompassesthe portions of those markets that are supplied with drugs produced and consumed locally. Well-settled law controls our answer. The CSA is a valid exercise of federal power, even as applied to the troubling facts of this case. We accordingly vacate the judgment of the Court of Appeals.

He also closes with something of a call to action:

But perhaps even more important than these legal avenues is the democratic process, in which the voices of voters allied with these respondents may one day be heard in the halls of Congress.

That's how I'll be treating it, anyway.

The little rover that could

And the Little Blue Engine smiled and seemed to say as she puffed steadily down the mountain, "I thought I could. I thought I could. I thought I could."
The Little Engine that Could
by Watty Piper

Cheers to the rover team at NASA, who proved that you can't keep a good rover down!

Who's knocking on the door?

The 'Net is a waste of time, and that's exactly what's right about it.
William Gibson

The latest way I've found to waste time is look through the statitistics of who's visiting my blog. If you're going for that comment link to tell me how you've been collecting stats for years, etc., etc., and I'm so behind the curve, I know already, so save it.

Lucky for me, there aren't a ton of visitors (Unlike the wildly popular Center of NJ Life.)There are a few, though, and my favorites are the search queries. It's nice to know that I'm not the only guy on the Internet interested in GE's hybrid locomotive ("ge hybrid locomotive regenerative") and the "maryland house rest area".

But my all time favorite is "pimped out chevy cavalier", for which I am the number one item on Google. See for yourself....

Update: I'm no longer number one! How did that happen? I wonder if this blog entry has, in some way, tipped the scale?

Motion in the ocean

When we are on the ocean we have almost limitless access to energy, but a modern vessel fights the elements. The albatross gets 98 percent of its energy for flight from the wind and two percent from its wings.
Per Brinchmann
Naval architect for Wallenius Wilhelmsen

Shipping firm Wallenius Wilhelmsen has designed a concept cargo ship with near-zero emissions. According to this article, the ship would be powered by wind, waves, and the sun. How cool is that?

Also, here's a story about a Scottish firm deploying three wave power generation units off the coast of Portugal. These units will be able to generate 2.25 megawatts, and 30 more could follow. The up, down, and side to side bobbing of the sausage shaped units pumps fluid to hydraulicly driven generators.

Looks like wave motion isn't just for Starblazers anymore!

Revenge

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"says the Lord.
The Letter of Paul to the Romans
Chapter 12, Verse 19

Today's news brings more stories of abuse at Guantanamo. Last week, Rob posted this to his blog, Laughing at the Pieces. He clues us in on a great OpEd in the NY Times. It argues that we are doing more harm than good there, and that we should shut it down.

In my comment I said the author was exactly right, but there was no chance of it actually hapenning, mainly because administration is entirely unwilling to admit a mistake. However, it occurs to me that there's more to it than they. If they shut down the Gitmo prison, it would offend their base. The core of their constituency believes that every prisoner deserves imprisonment, torture, and death. They still want payback for 9/11. And they don't much care who they pay back.

When the abuses at Abu Ghraib were first coming out, I heard a comment that remains with me today. I forget the exact wording, but the gist of it was: after what they did to the towers, who cares if we tortured a few of them. That the tortured prisoners had nothing to do with 9/11 was lost on this normally well-reasoned individual. Another comment came only a few weeks after the attack from someone impatiently asking how long before we'd see some dead Arabs.

When people made speeches, they always said that what we wanted was justice. We didn't; we wanted revenge, pure and simple. To put it in movie terms, we claimed to be Steven Seagal in Out for Justice, but we were really Mel Gibson in Payback.

Pearl Harbor evoked that same desire for revenge. The difference was, it was easier to figure out who's ass we wanted to kick. There was a sovereign nation saying, "Yeah, that was us. Bring it on, there's more where that came from!" So off we went. Of course, we still managed to unload on undeserving parties. We locked up American citizens without cause or due process, simply because of their ethnicity. We're back in that business again, although this time, with the exception of Jose Padilla (that we know of), we've focused on citizens of other nations.

I remember learning of an Army unit that was entirely of Japanese descent. They were one of the most decorated (if not most decorated) in the European theatre. They fought and died for a country whose freedoms were denied to their families. When I heard the dead Arab comment, it occurred to me that, but for the utter devastation, plenty of Arabs could be found among the dead at Ground Zero (not counting the terrorists). How many Muslims are serving in the Armed Forces right now? Yet so many in our country see them all as no different than Muhammad Atta.

We finally apoplogized to Japanese Americans and in some small way tried to make amends. We look back now at the internment camps and ponder how wrong were. We try to forgive ourselves for what we did in our blind rage, and perhaps comfort ourselves saying we know better know. But of course, we don't. I believe what we've done in the wake of 9/11 will one day be regarded as worse than Japanese internment. I do think we will one day manage to look back, wondering how we could be so wrong, and assue ourselves we'll not make that mistake again.

I hope I live to see that day, and I hope we'll keep our word.

Retractions and clarifications

No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.
Francois De La Rochefoucauld

This quote seems tailor-made for the current administration. The Newsweek story has quickly taken a back see to filibusters and Michael. Yet I keep hearing bits and pieces of news that make me think there is little that Newsweek needs to apologize for.

Yesterday, according to this Associated Press report, U.S. officials confirmed five cases in which a prisioner's Quran was mishandled. But they're quick to point out that there is "no credible evidence" of Quran flushing. They won't give any details of what was done to the Quran in those five cases, but Brig. Gen. Jay W. Hood, commander of the Gitmo prison assures us that none of them involved a toilet. They did admit, though, that in three cases the mishandling seems to be have been deliberate.

The use of the word "mishandling" instead of "desecration" is dubious in itself. It's a softer word that implies that mistreatment of the Quran was mild at best. The fact that no one will divulge nature of the mishandling leads one to believe that it might have been worse than the term suggests. That is was done intentionally would only make it worse. It's like the term "detainee" instead of "prisoner".

So what did Newsweek really do then? Based on this A.P. report, quoting the prison commander himself, the only thing they got wrong was the nature of the Quran's mistreatment. I find it hard to believe that that one element of the story is enough to push Afgan rioters over the edge. "They desecrated the Quran? Hmmm, I'm kind of annoyed at that.... wait, a what? A TOILET? ARRRRGH!!!" And riots ensue.

And I think I'm going to be sick if hear one more person in the Bush administration say that Newsweek is responsible for damaging our image with the Muslim world. They're saying this after, mind you, after reports confirming wide-spread prisoner abuse in Afganastan. It'd ludicrous.

There's also this, from Air Force General Richard Myers, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff:

It's the -- it's a judgment of our commander in Afghanistan, General Eikenberry, that in fact the violence that we saw in Jalalabad was not necessarily the result of the allegations about disrespect for the Koran -- and I'll get to that in just a minute -- but more tied up in the political process and the reconciliation process that President Karzai and his Cabinet is conducting in Afghanistan. So that's -- that was his judgment today in an after-action of that violence. He didn't -- he thought it was not at all tied to the article in the magazine.

So, if you ask the U.S. authories in Afganastan, they're not even blaming Newsweek for the riots (though I think the Whitehouse has since explained to them why they're wrong). (Thanks to Keith Olbermann for this link.)

And speaking of retractions, my comments on this Seething in the Wilderness post included the following:

That said, I wish Newsweek had somehow been more careful. People lost their lives and now it will be harder to uncover the truth.

I take it back. Newsweek is not to blame for the subsequent spew from the Bush administration. That would be like blaming a mugging victim for using an ATM on a bad street.

If you haven't, take a look at Keith Olbermann's last three blog posts (starting here). His is fast becoming my new favorite political blog, and he has this issue pegged.

By the way, one of my favorite Olbermann is an aside, where he says he's finally recognized the Fox News Channel. It's "the newscast perpetually running on the giant video screens in the movie 1984." Boy ain't it.

Things heard round the house

The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.
H. L. Mencken

I just thouht I'd share a few quotes from today:

Daddy (to daughter): Finish what you're doing. [Pause.] Actually, finish what you're supposed to be doing.

Daddy: What is that?
Mommy: This is a glove that was blown up and decorated as a turtle. It was given to me as a keepsake for all eternity. Guess how many I have.

Mommy: Where is Sleeping Beauty's head?

Creeping back to life

I'm creeping back to life
my nervous system all awry
I'm wearing the inside out.
Pink Floyd

Did I say that out loud? Apparently not. Haven't said much of anything. Yet again, it has been a case of blogus interuptus. Here's some of the stuff I wanted to blog about but didn't get to....

The albatross was indeed bad news for the crew of H.M.S Surprise. As for me, I did eventually get out of the traffic Jam (thanks Rob).

I managed to find another (traffic jam - not albatross) when someone knocked some wires across the PA Turnpike, stopping traffic in both directions. It did afford me the opportunity to listen to "In the Strawberry Fields," the second essay in Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market by Eric Schlosser (of Fast Food Nation fame). I've now finished listening and recommend it highly. I've already offered my rant on pot laws, but there's more to gnash your teeth over in the first essay, "Reefer Madness." The third essay is the story of the American porn industry, the people who brought it into being, and the politicians who tried in vain to enforce their views on morality. Check it out (Schlosser's book, not porn). (Hell, if you want some porn, go for it.)

Meanwhile, as Sharon told everyone, we're soakin' up the sun. It's gonna be awhile before I get tired of watching that meter run backwards.

Speaking of power, did you know that the energy dissipated in braking a 207-ton locomotive during the course of one year is enough to power 160 households for that year? That's why GE is working on a hybrid diesel locomotive. How cool is that? A key component of hybrids is regenerative braking, where the energy used in breaking is captured and stored, typically in batteries. It made me think, why aren't they using regenerative braking in commuter trains? They wouldn't even need the batteries; they could simply feed power back into the system for use by other trains. It turns out that the London Underground and Lyon Metro did just that. We need more of this.

I read that some subways use their motors to brake the train, but the electricity is not used. It is dissipated as head through radiators on the top of the car. What a waste.

Oh yeah, awhile back Jeri blogged about Jupiter. Well, I finally got off my ass and brought out the telescope. Jupiter was out, big and bright. I had to use a filter to dim down the brightness a bit so I could see the cloud bands. No red spot though.... The Galilean Moons, however, were bright and clear. Calisto was at the far end of its path (as we view it). BTW, that link has a cool animation that shows how the moons look from a terrestrial telescope.

Saturn was also out, rings and all. I could see Titan as well. Nearby in the sky was the quarter moon. When the moon is not full, it's a great time to view it. The shadow throws the surface features in stark relief and you can really see them.

So there ya go, that's what I can remember. Maybe I'll get some stuff up a little more often....

Stuck in traffic

Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike,
They've all gone to look for America
Simon and Garfunkle

I wish I was on the New Jersey Turnpike. I am 7.1 miles north of the Maryland House rest area on I-95, just past a bridge labeled MD Route 155. I'm blogging now thanks to the USB modem cable on my cell phone. I admit, I'm doing this mostly because I can, geek that I am. However, it's one more way to kill time while I sit, engine off, waiting....

I just openned the sun roof and, standing on the seat, could see no sign of movement. There is an interesting person in a pimped out Chevy Cavalier who is talking to his friends on the bullhorn he has installed under the hood. There is person in a Honda insight enjoying his big battery as he reads. I'm saving gas myself, having turned off the engine ten minutes ago....

Ah well, back to H.M.S. Surprise. They've just seen an albatross. This can't be good.

I see you!

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone
Johnny Nash

You might notice that the shadowy figure in my office has been replaced by a much clearer picture of yours truly. Thanks to the acquisition of an old wireless PC card, I was able to move my camera to the window sill. Now I'm no longer back-lit. Try to contain your excitement.

"Closure" for Richard Jewel?

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
1 Peter 2:12

Awhile back, when Eric Rudolf was about to plead guilty for the 1996 Summer, Olympics bombing, I blogged about Richard Jewel.

For no particular reason, I goggled his name today and found this story. It says a lot of what I was thinking. It also has a few tidbits about where Richard Jewel is now. He's a cop, finally, somwhere in Georgia. I wish him all the best.

Off shore, just

'Marchant service be damned. Talk not that lingo to me. Dost see that leg? -- I'll take that leg away from thy stern, if ever thou talkest of the marchant service to me again. Marchant service indeed!'
Moby Dick

How do you bring lots of cheap foreign labor to America without the pesky immigration issues? Call them sailors and keep them on the boat!

That's exactly what California company SeaCode plans to do. Read about it here. Not all coverage is as negative, of course. The industry publications are lauding this inovation. They say we should hear them out before we call it a "sweat-ship." I have, and I will.

This seems a dangerous trend, because it allows corporations to maintain a workforce outside of any governments jurisdiction.

The Secret of NiMH

Nicodemus: Courage of the heart is very rare. The stone has a power when it's there.
The Secret of NIMH

The power, in this case, is a kicking 2500 mAh of the new MAHA POWEREX AA rechargables I just bought:


Since I'm on a smart energy kick, I thought I'd blog a little about NiMH. They're the environmentally friendly choice for rechargables. They don't contain the dangerous metals that NiCad and Lithium Ion batteries do, and they are less prone to the "memory effect" that the others have. They great for electronics like remotes, digital cameras, and (a big one here) kids toys. We've even started putting them in our clocks with good results. We buy more of these which means we're not buying alkalines that get thrown away. Eat your heart out, bunny!

If you're interested:

• NiMH Wiki entry
• My favorite place to buy NiMH

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

God is not on our side because he hates idiots also.
Blondie
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I think that's Blondie's way of saying we need to fix the problems we've made and clean up our own messes. Over the last few days, Bush has been talking about his fix for current energy concerns.

I saved this snapshot of MSNBC two days ago because I wanted to blog about it, but was actually working. Look at the two headlines:

The juxtaposition is great. These two stories linked to a third. To me the three stories represent The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The Good

If the government subsidized renewable energy the way it does oil and gas, it would be mainstream in no time.
Mark Prebilic, Poolesville, MD

Our neighbors and we are part of a growing trend. Let me state outright that I cannot claim any credit. Sharon and our neighbor did all the work. They got the ball rolling, called the contractors, and reviewed the literature. I moved the attic fan and co-signed for the loan (which Sharon researched also). Thanks to them, solar panels are coming to our roofs. And as the article shows, we're not the only ones.

One reason we've been able to do this is a substantial rebate from the state. Mark Prebilic, who I quote above, benefitted similarly. Imagine what could happen with more funding. Imagine if all those warehouses and shopping centers had solar panels on their roofs. Imagine if we built massive solar arrays on old military bases, instead of refineries. Unfortunately, our leaders don't think like this. They have other agendas. Which brings us to:

The Bad

A secure energy future for America must include nuclear power ... and expanding oil refineries.
President George W. Bush
National Small Business Conference, Washington, D.C.
...or you have the president's plan, which is four words: more of the same.
John Kerry
2004 Presidential Debate

True to form, more or the same is exactly what Bush has offered up in his energy plan sham. After paying quick lipservice to new energy alternatives, Bush laid out his main plan of subsidizing oil and nuclear power.

He cited France as the model, which was smooth because it means the opposition has to bash the French, for a change. He says they've built 58 plants since the 1970s, while we've built none. Actually, France has a total of 58, and haven't built any since 1996, nor do they plan to. The U.S. already has over 100. France's population is approx. 1/5 that of the U.S. If you do the math, that means we'd need 150 more plants. Meanwhile, we can't figure out how to safely dispose of the waste we have now. And by the way, France hasn't worked out their long term disposal issues either, so they have plenty of their own waste sitting around. Oh yeah, thanks to their investments, Electricite de France has $30 billion of debt.*

Then we get to my favorite part - the oil refineries. That's what a nation trying to reduce it's dependence on fossile fuels needs, more refineries. We need to help oil companies build more refineries. Here's what David Hamilton of the Sierra Club had to say:

At a time when oil companies are making record profits, the federal government does not need to subsidize the construction of new refineries. The current lack of refinery capacity is the result of a conscious decision by the oil industry in the 1990s to limit the supply to increase profits.

Yep, that's what we need, more refineries. Which brings me to:

The Ugly

We can look at these sleek, stately turbines or we can look at an oil rig.
Marie Pendzich, energy chair of the Sierra Club's Long Island chapter, regarding aesthic issues with offshore turbines

Proving the you don't have to be evil to be in the GOP, New York Gov. George Pataki is backing a campaign to build a massive wind turbine project four miles offshor from southern Long Island. I chose this for "The Ugly" because the "visual impact" of wind turbines is holding up a similar project off Cape Cod, MA. I decided to see what the fuss was about:

Honestly, is this really that bad? If you've driven the N.J. Turnpike north of Exit 12 lateley or I-93 south of Boston, I think you'll agree that this is an improvement.

I had someone at my office offer similar complaints about solar panels. The didn't like the way they made your roof look ugly. It makes me think of an Elvis Costello line, "All this useless beauty." Who cares how great your roof looks when its backdrop is brown haze. Bring on the ugly.

Turning grief into laughter

You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it.
Bill Cosby

Okay, I pulled that quote from one of those memorable quotes web sites. But it was so appropriate to this story about Kashkool Comedy Show starring Nahi Mehdi and Ihssan Dadoush.

The show continues to gain popularity in Iraq, and copies of their shows sell like hotcakes. One person buying a copy was Tahseen Salih, who had this to say:

They have managed to funnel our grief into laughter. Instead of worrying about power shortages, flooding sewage pipes, the never-ending traffic jams, and the constant insecurity among other ills, they make us laugh bitterly and help get us over our sorrows.

Mehdi says they hope to present their style of comedy to the entire Arab audience. I hope they do, too.

Must... avoid... urge... to... rant...

To call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people.
Wanda
A Fish Called Wanda

Fresh from his apology for shooting his mouth off about the judiciary, Tom Delay yesterday was shooting his mouth off about the judiciary. He just won't let this thing go.

And why Kennedy? He's not exactly the liberal poster-child, is he? To me, it's just one more case of the Republicans eating their own; more evidence of the Big Tent Lie. The Grand Ole Party welcomes diverse viewpoints during an election. They're one big happy party. But when the election's over, well, then only blind obedience is acceptable. Disagree and you'll get smacked. I think that's why DeLay is so pissed at Kennedy. But let's consider the crimes of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Topping out DeLay's list is Kennedy's citing International Law in his opinions. "We've got Justice Kennedy writing decisions based upon international law, not the Constitution of the United States? That's just outrageous," he says. When you say it like that, it certainly sounds bad. Now, let's find the truth of the matter. This article, by Deborah Pearlstein, lays it all out. You should read the article, but here's a quick summary: The "foreign law" cases are one of three types:

• Enforcing international court rulings that we agreed to adhere under treaty obligations. Treaties are, per the Constitution, U.S. Law. Have no fear, though. The White House is pulling out of those pesky treaties (details in the Pearlstein article).
• Considering international societal norms in deciding whether a punishment should be considered cruel or unusual. This is nothing new. The alternative is to only consider what was cruel or unusual in 1787. But, then, the RRR would probably like that....
• Reviewing how foreign courts have resolved similar issues. Man, looking at how someone else solved a similar problem. Can't do that.

Boy, I really see what DeLay's talking about. Kennedy wants World Government! Run, run for your lives!

Now international laws are bad enough in the minds of judges, but it gets worse, oh yes. Justice Kennedy has... I can't even find the strength to type if. I'll let Tom tell you: "And not only that, but he said in session that he does his own research on the Internet? That is just incredibly outrageous."

OH MY GOD!
NO! NOT THAT!
NOT THE INTERNET!!!!!

So there you have it. What Tom DeLay is most afraid of is an informed judiciary. Okay, no surprise there.

Over there, look!

Turn to the right!
Ed McDonnough
Raising Arizona

I've added a new blog to my list. Look over there, on the right of this page for a link to The Center of NJ Life.

Little bits of joy

Lovely to know the warmth
You're smile can bring to me
I want to tell you but the words you do not know
The Moody Blues

I had this wonderful little moment yesterday afternoon that has stuck with me, so I'll share it here.

With spring comes the annual shoring up of the deck. Our deck is losing its battle with weather and decay. Each year, I patch and shore it up, trying to eek one more year out of the thing. There this "privacy screen" thing on one side; a sort of wall to keep the neighbors from seeing what we do, or maybe to keep people on the deck from looking in the nearby bathroom window. It gets shorter each year as I remove boards to replace the rotting floor of the deck. This year I was also underneath, adding some additional lumber to the rotting joists. Looks like the deck has one more summer left in it.

That wasn't the wonderful moment, mind you. The underside of a rotting deck is a less than pleasant location. Late in the day everyone had gone in. Sharon was cooking. Knowing my older dauther, she was reading Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. My youngest came back out, though. She took up her lawnmower and started around the yard (getting the places Mommy missed, I'd later find out).

For a couple minutes I just laid under the deck watching her wander around the yard. She stopped for a minute to rock on a see-saw toy. Then it was back to mowing. You hear a lot about the importance of "unscheduled time" for kids. This was why. She wasn't bored or lazy. She was outside on her own, with no planned activity, just having a great time making things up as she went. It was a joy to watch.
Eventually she noticed me under the deck, and I got to join the fun. I found out we were playing hide-n-seek. She took off for a few minutes, then came back to tell me she'd found where I was hiding. She found my hiding spot five times.

The deck was a royal pain. My back (backside, to be precise) is killing me from shimmeying around on the rocks underneath the deck. But that's not what I'm thinking about. I'm still watching my daughter get the places Mommy missed.

Fun with the Royals

I am not making this up
-Dave Barry

Okay, let me see if I've got this straight:

The British monarch is the symbolic leader of the Church of England.
Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles in a civil ceremony because the Church of England he will eventually lead would not permit a religious ceremony.
The Church of England would not permit a religious ceremony because the couple are divorcees.
The Church of England was created by Henry VIII so he could get a divorce.
In creating the Church of England, the British monarchy severed ties with the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope.
Charles and Camilla posponed their wedding so that Charles could attend the funeral of the Pope.

We had been discussing this at lunch one day. I thought it was kind of funny....

Searching for Richard Jewel

All I did was my job.
Richard Jewel

Today it was reported that Eric Rudolph would plead guilty to four bombings, including the blast at the 1996 Summer Olympics. I had forgotten that the bombing occurred on my birthday.

The story left me thinking about Richard Jewel. You might remember him. He was the security guard that spotted the bomb, and was credited with saving many lives by warning people away. However, when he should have been lauded as a hero, he became the chief suspect. FBI leaks and the resulting media coverage identified him as the bomber.

He was eventually exonerated, but it would be hard for him to completely shake off the gung-ho cop wannabee image painted by the media. When he finally broke his public silence, he gave this speech.

I wonder what happened to him. I googled him, but found nothing recent. I hope he is doing well. He deserves to be.

Piece of the Lord

Every time you go away you take a piece of me with you.
Paul Young

On Sunday we went to the Dali exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was awesome, by the way, and maybe I'll get together a blog post about it. But today's offering finds its genesis in European decorative arts, and in particular, and exhibit of reliquaries.

A reliquary is, as its name suggests, a container for a relic. In the Roman Catholic context, a relic is part of a saint. Our friend Marilyn explained that all Roman Catholic churches must have a relic. In fact, all altars need a relic, as explained in this encylopedia entry.

I started linking around the Wikipedia information on relics, and came across a doozy. No pun intended, I think this is the relic pièce de résistance:

Holy Prepuce (a.k.a. Holy Foreskin)

There is all manner of truly wonderful lore surrounding this relic. You need to read the entry for yourself. I will say that Saturn will never look quite the same to me.

Reference materials:

• Relic Wiki entry
• Reliquary Wiki entry
• The Holy Umbilical Cord
• And this charming Christmas story

FBI seeks expanded search powers

however much i push it down
it's never enough
however much i push it around
it's never enough
however much i make it out
it's never enough
never enough
The Cure

Wha... I mean... you gotta be... how the hell... ARRRGH!

The FBI and Justice Department want Congress to renew all provisions of the Patriot Act. They also want expanded powers. Yes, I did just say expanded powers. They aren't satisfied with the unprecedented power they've been given. They want more, by expanding the FBI's ability to obtain records without first asking a judge. Yeah, that's what they need. More power.

Read all about it and seethe.

My listening pleasure

A connecting principle
Linked to the invisible
Almost imperceptible
Something inexpressible
Synchronicity I
by The Police

I thought I'd just talk about the audiobooks I've been listening to recently.

I'll begin with Patrick O'Brian's Post Captain, the second in the Aubrey/Maturin series that begins with Master and Commander, which I've also listened to. The motion picture Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is based on the characters from the series and draws from several of the books. (The movie, BTW, is excellent. If you haven't seen it, you should.) I am really enjoying the books. O'Brian's detailed depiction of the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars is the background for rich characters and an engaging plot. It was also nice to listen to a nautical themed book that didn't leave me wanting to gnaw my arm off like Moby Dick did. Sorry, Melville fans - I couldn't take it.

Next I listened to The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips. I really liked this. There are two main characters. The first is an Egyptoligist trying to find the tomb of an ancient Egyption king. The second is a detective investigating a case that begins as a missing person but becomes a double-murder. What is interesting is that story is told in the form of journal entries and correspondence from the Egyptologist, his fiancee, and the detective. Each has their own version of the truth and the reader (or listener) is left to figure out what's really hapenning.

Now I'm listening to Clout Atlas by David Mitchell. The book is actually six narratives. Each is interupted suddenly, mid-sentence, as the next begins. I'm only two narratives in, so we'll see how they are wrapped up later. What was funny, though, was that the first narrative has journal entries of a passenger on a late 18th century sailing vessel on the Pacific. It sort of combined the previous two books I'd heard.

Anyway, that's what I'm listening to. Read/heard anything good lately?

Alter on Schiavo

They replaced reason with emotion, confused law with theology and allowed politics and tabloidism to trump the privacy this agonizing family tragedy deserved.
Jonathan Alter

In this commentary, Jonathan Alter just summarized my opinions on almost every aspect of the Schiavo case. The only thing I disagreed with was this:

And I still don't understand why Michael Schiavo didn't turn over custody and get a divorce.

On that subject, see Anna Qunindlan.

P.S. This blog entry from Keith Olbermann does Michael Schiavo a well-deserved good turn.

The right to motor genuinely

The deft criminals rely on ignorance and a lack of common sense. The extremely near-sighted are especially vulnerable.
Counter Counterfeit Commission

I know it's stealth advertising. I know I'm a biased MINI owner. But I just love this site.

Worthwhile commentary

Bob Garber of Flint Michigan needs a Kidney? Well, Bob Garber, you're going to get that Kidney thanks to the Bob Garber Gets a Kidney Act of 2005.
Dr. Stephen Colbert
Senior Ethicist

As always, the Daily Show is dead on with this and this.

What's so funny?

I said "I know, everybody funny, now you funny too"
George Thoroughgood
Hey, laughing boy!
Bugs Bunny

Apparently humans aren't the only ones in on the joke.

That other bogus war

You waste my coin Sam, all you can
To jail my fellow man
For smoking all the noble weed
You need much more than him
You've been telling lies so long
Some believe they're true
So they close their eyes to things
You have no right to do
Just as soon as you are gone
Hope will start to climb
Please don't stay around too long
You're wasting precious time
Don't Step on the Grass, Sam
by Steppenwolf

I had started this post a couple weeks ago, and forgot to finish it. We had watched a few episodes from Season Two of Penn & Teller: Bullshit!. One of the episodes was about the war on drugs. I used to be fairly passionate about this issue, and this got me thinking again. Now I'll grant that in college, I may have had a slightly different motivation for questioning the laws that make certain intoxicants illegal. I'm older now and, like our president, I can be perfectly honest when I answer "no" to all the drug use questions on a security clearance questionaire. Despite this, I am still convinced our anti-drug laws are completely whacked.

Penn & Teller openned with a flashback to Prohibition. It's a popular and entirely appropriate precedent to cite. Prohibiting the sale and consumption of alcohol led to a huge criminal black market, poisonings from bad booze, and no real reduction in the consumption of alcohol. It was a complete failure. So you'd think we'd have learned. Well, we didn't learn from Vietnam, so what would we learn here?

Facts on P&T BS should be approached with caution. Like the people and organizations they debunk, P&T choose their interview subjects and footage carefully. That said, I think they had an easy case to make here. Just look at heroine. It is cheaper and more pure now than when Nancy Reagan first told kids to "Just say no." You can find similar statistics about other drugs to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the so-called war.

Then there's the crazy pot thing. This is where the anti-drug rhetoric really falls apart. If you look at deaths attributable to the drug, pot is safer than alcohol and tobacco. No one has ever overdosed, that's for sure. And then there's the medical marijuana. The anti-drug movement is unwilling to even admit that there may be a medical application, despite the mounting evidence that pot has helped AIDS patients and chemotherapy recipients curb the crippling nausea and keep some weight on.

It just kills me. Despite new evidence, new studies, new opionions from the AMA, whatever, most lawmakers and anti-drug activists are unwilling to consider the possibility of medical marijuana. They seem so pig-headed about it. It's as if they no longer care about the issue, but just don't want to be proven wrong.

Then there's hemp. A popular theory has William Randalf Hearst demonizing marijuana as a means of protecting his significant investments in manufacture of paper from wood pulp. I don't know if he's at the root of the laws against pot use. However, the articles he published and the paper mill stock he held are both a matter of record, so his motives were shady at best. In any event, here is a source of paper with a much smaller environmental impact that we refuse to explore. A new cash crop for farmers. Come on.

I know, I know, I'm talking crazy. To embrace legalization is polical suicide unless you're local politician in one of a select few states. It's easier to maintain the status quo here. Accept the conventional wisdom, despite its flaws. It would certainly kill a national campaign. Or would it? I don't know, and we never will, because no one would try.

Bloggus Interuptus

And Sharkey says: Hey, kemosabe! Long time no see.
Sharkey's Night
by Laurie Anderson

So once again, a long hiatus in posting. I'm not sure why I haven't posted. Some things one might post about are best kept out of view from the wandering eyes of search engines. Other things are too depressing to rail against week after week.

Terri Schiavo is one topic that fits the latter condition. I blogged about her, or rather the GOP hypocrisy surrounding her. Rob had this to say. Jeri pointed out this observation of the GOP. The blogging activity about Schiavo is a news event on its own. At this point, I have heard to much. I want everyone to stop talking about it. The legal battle over, the case has become a deathwatch. I don't need a news story explaining in painful detail how she will die. I don't need info-graphics. Thank God for Anna Quindlen.

If you haven't read Rob's post of 17 March, you should. I spent Friday wiring in another smoke detector. I also wired them together, so that if one goes off, they all go off. The hardest part was getting a new line from the basement to the second floor attic. Having accomplished that, I can now continue adding smoke detectors to all the bedrooms.

Easter was good. We had my parents, Sharon's sister and her family, and Ed, Jancice, and Ed's mom. It was an excellent dinner (of course). Mustard crusted leg of lamb in a wine demi-glace. The kids had fun hunting for eggs (plastic, filled with candy) and playing. It was a very good day.

So that's the update. Hopefully there will be some more frequent posts.

Oh yeah, check out this guy's page.

Hypocrites all

Yet in instances like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life. Those who live at the mercy of others deserve our special care and concern.
George W. Bush
talking about the Terri Schiavo case

While driving back from the speech later that day, Bush mentions Karla Faye Tucker, a double murderer who was executed in Texas last year. In the weeks before the execution, Bush says, Bianca Jagger and a number of other protesters came to Austin to demand clemency for Tucker. 'Did you meet with any of them?' I ask.
Bush whips around and stares at me. 'No, I didn't meet with any of them,' he snaps, as though I've just asked the dumbest, most offensive question ever posed. 'I didn't meet with Larry King either when he came down for it. I watched his interview with [Tucker], though. He asked her real difficult questions, like 'What would you say to Governor Bush?' 'What was her answer?' I wonder.
'Please,' Bush whimpers, his lips pursed in mock desperation, 'don't kill me.'
"Devil May Care" by Tucker Carlson, Talk Magazine, September 1999, p. 106
(For the record, Tucker never asked to be spared during the Larry King Live interview)

Fucking hypocrite. Excuse the language, but it applies here. It is so appalling and despicable. He was so cavalier dispensing death in Texas. It makes me sick to hear him talk about a presumption in favor of life! Fucking hypocrite!

The Terry Schiavo case frightens me to no end. What right do these self-righteous bastards have to interfere in the gut-wrenching and immensely private decisions that Michael Schiavo has to make on his wife's behalf. In death penalty cases, they say that the courts have spoken and decry the delay tactics made on behalf of the condemned. Yet the courts have spoken here, ruling that Ms. Schiavo would not want to live like this and that her husband is rightly carrying out her wishes. In response they've used every tactic in the book. Hell, they even tried to pass a law.

Here is the latest new on this story. The Senate health committee (GOP controlled, surprise) wants Michael Schiavo and Terri Schiavo to appear in front of the committee. As if they haven't suffered enough, now they want to grill him on TV and make him defend what may have been the hardest decision in his life. I feel so sorry for the Schiavos. They are made to suffer so some politicians can further their political agenda. I feel sorry for her parents, to, by the way. Their false hopes are being exploited by these same politicians.

Fucking hypocrites!

Common ground

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able
Dar Williams
The Christians and the Pagans

I had been meaning to post this for more than a week now, but I've been a little out of touch with the blog.

I had an interesting lunch with my boss, the owner of the company. The discussion was supposed to be about direction, goals, etc. over the long term. That part of the conversation was suprisingly short, mainly because there was nothing new to discuss there (another story I'll tell sometime).

So, having known each other for 13 years now, we starting talking about co-workers, former employees, etc. "How's so-an-so doing?" and similar stuff. We got onto the subject of marriage, and that was where the surprise was.

He and I are about as different as people can be. He is a die-hard Republican who hunts, plays sports very competively, etc. So it was unexpected when I found so much in common with him. We were both surprised recently by several unexpected divorces of friends and co-workers. We started talking about that, and about what keeps two people together or pushes them apart.

It turns out that we had both gone through several of the same challanges in marriages. The same stressful times triggered by similar events or at similar milestones. The same decisions, rationales, realizations, etc.

Anyway, It was just a reminder that there's always common ground there somewhere.

Corrections

It's been eleven years. You should expect it by now.
Sharon

You may notice some slight changes to today's entries since they were first posted. Sharon noticed several mistakes and historical inaccuracies that required correction.

Thank you dear, not only for eleven years, but for making sure I get it right.

I love you.

Where the hell have I been?

It's been a long time since I rock and rolled,
It's been a long time since I did the Stroll.
Ooh, let me get it back, let me get it back,
Let me get it back, baby, where I come from.
It's been a long time, been a long time,
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time. Yes it has.
Rock and Roll
Led Zeppelin

It's been damn near two weeks without a post, so let me attempt to get back in the swing.... I'm going to set the time back on the rest of today's posts, so that they show up after this....

This one goes to eleven

And so today, my world it smiles,
Your hand in mine, we walk the miles,
Thanks to you it will be done,
For you to me are the only one.
Thank you
Led Zeppelin

The quote was as far as I got on this post before going to bed on the morning of our eleventh wedding anniversary. The day itself was not what we planned, I'll tell that story next. Meanwhile....

Early in the morning of January 1st, 1993, her annual New Years party was winding down (it was still hers, not ours). Sharon and I were talking about what you always talk about at New Years: resoutions. I knew what I was hoping for, but I wasn't sure where Sharon stood and didn't want to push. I was still recovering from a crash that almost totalled my car and me with it. (For the record, it was my fault, the result of me being an idiot). I asked Sharon what she wanted. She answered with a question, "So, are you going to marry me, you son of a bitch, or what?" So okay, I guess I didn't have to worry about pushing....

Two months later we'd found an apartment and were all set to move in. The night before we moved in, I told Sharon that I was going to wait to ask her until we actually moved in. "Oh, you can wait if you want," she said. I didn't wait. She said yes. Two days shy of a year later, we were married. When we were down the aisle and in the narthex, I turned to her and she grabbed me. We held each other for what felt like forever, cliches be damned. A day later we were on a train to New Orleans. Ah, New Orleans. Someday we'll return.

And now it's been eleven years. Back then we had an apartment and a cat. Now we have a house, three cats, two dogs, and the two most wonderful girls on this earth. I remember once when we were arguing and fuming about something (probably me being an idiot again). At some point, Sharon started telling me about something that had been on her mind. It had nothing to do with the argument, whatever that was. What I remember is this: it was the kind of thing she needed to tell her best friend about, but she couldn't, because we weren't talking.

That is what Sharon and I have. I don't mean the stupid arguments, though we have our share. Someone once told Sharon that she didn't need her spouse to be her best friend. Parent, partner, stable, etc., those were the things this person was looking for. That's not Sharon and I. She is the one I turn to with a problem. She's the one that gives me support and encouragement, and I hope I do in return.

So, here's to year twelve. And thirteen. And fourteen. And twenty-five. And fifty. And so on....

Anniversary day

I'm sorry we couldn't spend the day thinking about how much we love each other, instead of trying like crazy not to vomit.
Sharon

For our anniversary we had front row tickets to Democracy, dinner reservations for the Firebird Restaurant, and plans for a stop to see The Gates.

The morning of our anniversary started out when I hear my one of my kids crying in her room. Sometimes this happens when she has a bad dream. Unfortunately, this time it was because she had wet the bed.

I got her all cleaned up. While we were downstairs loading her sheets and blankets into the washer, I heard activity upstairs. I figured it was her older sister, so I headed upstairs. She was in our room throwing up.

It turned out that whatever she had hit my wife also. Several drugs later, we decided we should give it a go. My mom was staying with the girls. She's a retired pediatcric nurse, so she was fine with my sick daughter. My wife and I headed to the station to catch the train. She spent the trip alternately fighting nausea and dosing off. We got a little soup before the play, a relatively safe lunch.

The play was excellent. I recommend it to anyone who has the chance.

We left the theatre started uptown towards Central Park. After a block, my wife said, "Let's just go home." That was a good idea. We turned back and walked down to Penn Station. When we got there, we immediately saw the "All Aboard" call on the board for a Trenton bound train. We rushed to the platform, which was empty. Back upstairs, we now saw the "All aboard" for a different gate. More running, this time to watch the train pull out. Apparently they were having a little trouble updating the screens. The next train wasn't for another 45 mintues, so we headed for the waiting area.

That was when it hit me. By the time we boarded the train, I was feeling mightly low. Someone had a hot dog with saurkraut on the train. That was more than I could take. I spent the ride home in the vestibule between cars trying desparately not to get sick. I sang Green Day to myself as a distraction (still my favorite). By the time we got home I had a fever and chills.

So, not the romantic Saturday in the city we hoped for. Oh well. We both know there are plenty of next years to make up for it.

Go Codey

I fully recognize that I was not elected to this position. I did not run for it. And I did not seek it. But, I will not run from the responsibility, and I will not shy from the challenges.
Acting Governor Richard Codey
2005 State of the State Address

Sharon and I watched Richard Codey give the FY2006 New Jersey Budget Address wishing he was actually a candidate in for Governor. Ironically, the fact that Codey is not a candidate is probably the reason his address was a frank and honest as it was. Codey seems to be taking on the issues with a strength and zeal of a someone who has nothing to lose. I think it's just New Jersey needs right now. Go Codey, go!

Goodbye Dr. Gonzo

As you were, I was. As I am, you will be.
-Hunter S. Thompson

"Saddenned but not suprised" seems to be the prevailing sentiment around the death of Hunter S. Thompson. I guess I share that sentiment, but "disappointed" factors in there somewhere.

For Valentine's Day...

You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain
Too much of love drives a man insane
You broke my will, but what a thrill
Goodness gracious great balls of fire
-Jerry Lee Lewis

Just in time for Valentine's Day is this story from the Associated Press. Why, of all things, did I decide to post this? I guess part of it is the while morbid curiosity car crash thing, but that's not all of it. I am fascinated by the sentences in the article. The combine words and phrases you would never expect to see together. Consider the first sentence of the article follows suit:

Mary Kay Letourneau plans to marry the former sixth-grade pupil with whom she had two children, months after her release from prison for raping him, according to an online bridal registry.

Marry... two children... prison... raping him... bridal registry. Bridal registry! Reuters has a similar article with a headline that cuts to the chase:

Washington teacher to wed former student she raped

I could go on cut/pasting choice phrases, but the links are here, so I won't.
I don't know precisely what to think of it all. It fucked up on so many levels....

Postscript: If the text of this post seems different, it's because the original threw an error in Blogger and they deleted it. I guess this was too screwed up for them as well.

Post postscript: The spell checker wanted to replace Letourneau with latrine. I guess it knows more than me.

The power of the Dark Side

Yoda: But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice.
Luke: Vader... Is the dark side stronger?
Yoda: No, no, no. Quicker, easier, more seductive.
-The Empire Strikes Back

This article from the Washington Post is merely the latest installment in the saga of "Ugly Things We Feel Justified Doing Because We Were Attacked." There are many other chapters, and probably more to come. There's Abu Ghraib, of course. There have been illegal detentions of immigrants. We've even indefinitely jailed an American citizen, Jose Padilla, without any charges whatsoever.

Sharon told me about a comment someone made to her upon seeing a picture of the Twin Towers. The person said they could care less that we abused these prisoners, considering what they did to the Towers. Of course, the Iraqis in Abu Ghraib had absolutely nothing to do with the 9-11 attacks. What is it about us that lets us justify such acts in the name of revenge? Our laws state that cruelty is wrong and has no place in our society. Our predominant religious beliefs teach us that seeking vengeance will lead to our own doom. For a nation where moral values were considered a key factor in the re-election of the President, we sure are quick to throw all those moral values out the window in favor of security and payback.

Of course this is nothing new. Any history of WWII will no doubt discuss the internment of American citizens of Japanese descent. Many will also point out that the ones who weren't in the camps were busy dying for their country in the most decorated Army unit of WWII, but I digress. Eventually, we did realize and admit our mistakes. In 1989 we officially apologized and began to make reparations. Since I am optimistic about our future (present administration notwithstanding), I am betting that somewhere around 2050, Congress will draft a similar apology to the surviving families of Guantanamo detainees, Afgans, Iraqis, Jose Padilla, and who knows who else. Maybe we'll even rejoin the civilized world with respect to capital punishment.

Unfortunately I am not so optimistic as to believe that we won't persecute anyone else in the name of freedom, probably at the same time we issue those apologies.

Gettin' Fuzzy

Germany doesn't do everything perfectly... go ask Poland
-Rob Wilco
Get Fuzzy

Darby Conley's Get Fuzzy is a satisfying little comic strip. I say satisfying, because I always feel like reading the strip was time well spent, as opposed to some that leave me wishing I hadn't bothered. It isn't always laugh out loud funny, but it has this wry humor.

Not to mention that its main character, Rob Wilco, is one of us. I've been behind in the dailies, but I just caught up. Sharon told me that Rob was defending his love of D&D last week, and this week he's brewing beer. Today, he explains to Bucky and Satchel (his dog and cat, respectively) that the best beer is Belgian.

Right on, Rob!

This spot is hot

Gonna get myself,
I'm gonna get myself
Gonna get myself connected
-Stereo MC's
Connected

I'm stuck today at some lame job keeping a seat warm just in case they have a problem with their computers. I guess I shouldn't complain, becasue basically I'm getting paid to sit around. But I had to get me and my family up early to take me to the train station, and this is excruciatingly boring.

Luckily, I decided to fire up the laptop and found an open wireless network. The number of open hotspots in NYC these days is incredible. They're everywhere. I don't know how companies like T-mobile make money when Joe Schmoe's residential DSL line is open for business. Last week I managed to find not one, but two networks in range. And that's not even counting the open networks that the city has set up in public places.

Anyway, all I have to say is thanks izu, whoever you are. You're network made my day a little less dull.

Good news from WHYY

Da Mayor: Doctor...
Mookie: C'mon, what. What?
Da Mayor: Always do the right thing.
Mookie: That's it?
Da Mayor: That's it.
Mookie: I got it, I'm gone.
-Do the Right Thing

We got this from WHYY yesterday. Hopefully other PBS stations are sending similar letters.

Dear [...]:

Thank you for your letter and sharing your concerns about Postcards from Buster. Our President and CEO William J. Marrazzo asked me to respond to you, because he is out of town.

As you probably know by now, WFIYY will broadcast the “Sugartime” episode of the children’s series Postcards from Buster on Wednesday, February 2, 2005 at 3:30 PM.

Postcards from Buster is part of WHYY’s Children’s Service, which aims to promote literacy and provide a safe and trusted learning environment for families.

“Sugartime” is in keeping with the other Postcards episodes, whose primary focus is on regional and cultural traditions throughout the United States. In the Postcards series, which features the cartoon character Buster, local families are often the backdrop for the stories. “Sugartime” focuses on maple sugaring in Vermont and includes as part of the background children from two families with two mothers.

The series, which is produced by WGBH in Boston and Cookie Jar Entertainment, Inc. in association with Marc Brown Studios, has two main educational goals: to help kids understand and appreciate the rich and varied cultures that make up the United States, and to support the language skills of elementary school-age children for whom English is a second language.

The Postcards series has visited young people from many ethnic backgrounds, has explored the role of religion in their lives, and has visited kids living in a variety of settings and cities, suburbs and the country.

WHYY’s Children’s Service provides parents with the tools they need to help children develop skills to explore the world around them. Using TV, FM, the Web, and community events, WHYY is the one thing a diverse community has in common, connecting each-of us to the world’s richest ideas and all of us to each other.

Sincerely,

Nessa Forman
Vice President for Corporate Communications

Thoughts on the Iraqi Election

History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.
-Maya Angelou

What experience and history teach is this -- that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles.
-George Wilhelm Hegel

Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
-George Santayana

A 1967 news report of elections in Vietnam has been circling the Internet, and according to Snopes, it's real. The eerie similarity to recent news reports like this one is unmistakable.

I've been trying to decide what I think of the election. On one hand I have to be happy for Iraqis who voted, some for the first time in their lives. I heard a quote saying this was the first election in Mesopotamia where women voted. On the other hand, I am loathe to express any opinion that can be seen as a validation of the Iraq war. The whole thing was so wrong on so many levels and I refuse to sway from that opinion.

I've been trying to come up with an analogy for the Iraq war that explains how I feel about it. Here's what I came up with:

A patient has a life threatening tumor on their liver. The doctor diagnoses the tumor as cancerous. The diagnosis is only based on a cursory review of test results. Against the recommendation of several colleagues, the doctor performs a liver transplant. Subsequent tests on the tumor reveal that it was benign. Many less radical treatments could have been prescribed.

The patient's body rejects the new liver, forcing them to take drugs with numerous ugly side-effects. There is a real possibility that the patient will die of complications from the procedure. Yet there remains hope that the patient will recover and go on to lead a healthy life. Although not out of the woods, the patient has made some progress toward recovery.

In the malpractice trial, the doctor vigorously defends the transplant, despite a finding that the tumor was benign. The doctor points out that the patient is showing signs of improvement, and that the tumor could have been fatal if left untreated.

Unfortunately, this is way too long for a campaign commercial....

I hope the election is a turning point. I hope that Iraq does not face a future like the one that unfolded after the elections in Vietnam. I hope the patient makes a full recovery and lives a healthy life. Nonetheless, I think the doctor is guilty of gross negligence.